This application relates to wireless communications.
A Femto Cell is a tiny mobile cell designed to provide wireless extension to homes, or businesses which might not be covered by normal macro cells or micro cells. When a mobile station enters a Femto cell coverage area, the mobile station is connected to a Femto Access Point (FAP) which in part functions a Femto base station for the Femto Cell. The mobile station then continues to receive services through the FAP. A FAP provides radio transmission to mobile stations, with radio transmission links based on existing wireless technologies such as those being defined by 3GPP, 3GPP2 or IEEE802.16. Different from a regular base station in a typical wireless network, a Femto Access Point uses wired broad band connections, such as DSL or cable modem at homes or businesses as the backhaul link for connecting to the wireless Core network.
Femto Access Point can be configured in various configurations. In one example, a FAP may include a built-in BSC/RNC function and connect to the Core Network through a Femto Gateway (FGW) via VPN. In another configuration a FAP may be configured to provide some basic Base Station (BS) functions only, and connects to a legacy BSC/RNC through VPN tunnel with FGW over wired broad band connection. Various radio access networks, including CDMA2000, UMB, LTE, WCDMA, WiMAX and others, are synchronized networks. A Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver can be used for providing timing reference for the radio access network so that the entire network can be synchronized to a single timing source.